System for mobile broadband networking using dynamic quality of service provisioning

ABSTRACT

A wireless networking system uses mobile and fixed transceivers to achieve a network with changing topology. A routing process includes quality-of-service considerations in the network to allow for features such as file or other data transfer, streaming audio and video, digital telephone communications, etc. The routing process adapts to transceiver units entering, leaving, or moving within, the network. Auxiliary networks such as the Internet, campus or corporate intranets, home networks, etc., can be accessed through the wireless network. Features, designs and user interfaces for the units are described. Security and access control of media content and other data is presented.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. 120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/447,335, filed May 28, 2003,which claimed priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/403,786, filed on Aug. 14, 2002, both entitled“SYSTEM FOR MOBILE BROADBAND NETWORKING USING DYNAMIC QUALITY OF SERVICEPROVISIONING” and both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to network communications and,more specifically, to a system having fixed and mobile wirelesstransceivers with dynamic routing based on quality-of-service criteriain order to optimize data transfers in a network with dynamicallychanging topology.

2. Background of the Invention

Wireless networks are gaining in popularity. Standards such as 802.11a,802.11b, 802.11g, Bluetooth, Ultra Wideband (UWB), etc., allow users toconnect wirelessly via portions of the radio-frequency spectrum. As thecost of wireless network systems decreases and their popularityincreases, these systems are becoming more prevalent. Some providechannels for relatively unrestricted transfer of information amongvarious devices. The devices can be owned or operated by different userswithout formal registration, certification, administrator approval orother access restrictions. In cases where mobile wireless transceiversare used, there can be a constant change in the number and type ofdevices accessing a wireless network.

The types of wireless systems available today have shortcomings for someapplications. The 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g standard systems have twomodes of operation: infrastructure and Ad-Hoc. The infrastructure modeuses a dedicated radio controller and is primarily designed to provide adirect wireless link to a standard Ethernet network connection. The “AdHoc” approach allows for peer- to-peer networking, so that a very smallnetwork of several PCs on the same wireless channel can share files. Thenodes in this network control their own access to the wireless media.The Ad Hoc mode is primarily used to temporarily interconnect a fewcomputers together where an Ethernet backbone may not be available or anemergency network is required. There is no means of gaining access tothe corporate Ethernet network or an Internet connection. As such,neither scheme is designed for “multi-hop” transmission. In a“multi-hop” scheme, data is transferred through intermediary wirelesstransceivers before arriving at the destination receiving device.

Generally, the quality of a communications channel in a wireless networkis not guaranteed so that, for example, a software process executing ona device is not guaranteed a specific transfer rate over any giveninterval of time. This makes it very difficult to provide services thatrequire a consistent bit or packet error rate (BER or PER); servicessuch as streaming media, video and audio fall into this category.

Other approaches to wireless communications do not provide acomprehensive system design approach. For example, UWB only defines aradio physical layer. This merely defines how bits will be transmittedon the radio interface physical connection. There is no definition for aflexible protocol to allow coordination of devices, channels, links,etc., within a UWB wireless network. Bluetooth does include severalfeatures for point-to-point communications between devices, but doesthis based on a master-slave relationship that is difficult to use in anetwork with changing topology, such as one made up of mobile wirelesstransceivers. In addition, all the nodes within the Bluetooth networkmust be able to see at least the master for coordination purposes. Thisclearly limits the operational range of the network.

Other considerations for a flexible wireless communication systeminclude scalability, range, user interface presentation, networkmanagement, minimization of radio interference, creation of userfeatures to generate market desirability, security and access controls,physical design, features and operation of the devices, etc.

Hence, it would be desirable to provide a wireless network that employsa dynamically changing topology to accommodate user mobility and that isalso capable of accepting and handling heterogeneous user traffic frommultiple devices in a more efficient manner.

SUMMARY

The system of the present invention allows multiple wirelesstransceivers to flexibly communicate in a managed and optimized mannerin a network that has a dynamic topology. In a preferred embodiment, twotypes of transceivers are used. One is a mobile radio unit (MRU or“mobile unit”) and one is a semi-fixed, or fixed radio unit (FRU or“fixed unit”). The mobile unit could be a handheld or portable computingdevice equipped with radio-frequency (RF) send and receive capability.The fixed unit is a larger processing system, such as a personalcomputer, server, etc., that typically includes a more powerful radiotransceiver and, therefore, longer range RF transmission capabilities.

The mobile units are equipped to present consumer-oriented features suchas music (or other audio) playback and recording, address book,calendar, data storage and transfer, etc. Other features can include:digital telephone; local, downloaded or streamed video playback; etc.Various aspects of the hardware, software and physical design of themobile units are further described below.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, fixed units areenvisioned to reside in a home with one or more mobile units registeredto a specific fixed unit. Both fixed and mobile units can communicatewith each other over short or longer range radio channels. The unitstransfer data or communicate over one or more “hops,” where a “hop”allows communication between two units whether fixed or mobile, in whicha first unit communicates with a second unit that is outside of therange of the first unit but communication is achieved through transferof data through intermediary units so that the data can ultimately berelayed through the intermediary units to the second unit. “Hopping”refers to dynamically changing one or more intermediary units to add,delete, change or modify the intermediate relay points. Alternatively,two nearby units may communicate directly without the need for anintermediary unit.

Since the majority of the units in the network are mobile, the uniqueprocedures elaborated in the present invention are able to performrouting in a wireless network environment or topology which iscontinuously changing. This means that data is transferred between fixedor mobile units by “hopping” between dynamically changing intermediateunits. Importantly, the fixed units may act as intermediate units underthe “hopping” method of the present invention. The best path between asending and receiving unit can change from transmission to transmission,or even within a single transmission, as the underlying topology of thenetwork changes, mobile units are moved or their availability changesfor other reasons.

One feature of the wireless system of the present invention is a routingprocess that tracks unit locations and inter-unit channel conditions.The routing process uses characteristics of the channels between two ormore units, such as but not limited to, the data rate, reliability,number of unit hops, load, congestion, requested Quality of Service(QoS), etc. Additional factors can be used in routing evaluation, suchas, desired QoS to be provided to a user, device or process. Forexample, where a user is using a voice feature of a device, the routingprocess attempts to ensure at least a minimum data rate or time delaywith no dropouts to make sure the voice quality is maintained. Thisfeature has a higher level of service than, for example, downloading afile since a pause in file downloading does not have as critical aneffect on the user. One advantage of the present invention is thecapability to determine the required level of service based upon thefeature requested by the user of the network. Therefore, the user doesnot have to be concerned about the network conditions, whereas, in othernetworks, the user may have to stop the conversation or take otheractions until the radio conditions improve.

Other aspects of the routing process include registration or detectionof transceiver location. Where fixed units are installed in homes, theuser can manually describe the location so that, for example, latitudeand longitude coordinates could be derived. A built-in GPS receivercould also perform the same task. Another approach is to triangulatetransceiver location by using the positions of multiple knowntransceivers. Data about various characteristics of units that is usefulfor routing purposes is maintained in tables (or other forms of storage)in various units, in a central location or both. Such tables arepropagated throughout the network as needed. As units are brought into,taken from, or moved within the network, the routing process (orprocesses) attempts to maintain desired levels of service.

One feature of the RF transmitters used in the present invention is theuse of antenna arrays for directional transmission. This allowstransmitters so-equipped to “steer” a radio beam to specific receiversso that greater distance with less power is achieved. The receivingability of such antennas is also directional so that receiversensitivity to specific units at known locations can be increased.Further, this approach reduces the interference from potentiallycompeting signals. This, in turn, increases network efficiency and can,therefore, enhance network density and performance.

Units can be connected to other wireless or wired networks, such as butnot limited to, the Internet, corporate or campus intranets, homenetworks, etc. Services, such as, streaming of media can be providedwithin a household or to other friends or users. Security and accesscontrols are provided. One aspect of the system allows units to relayinformation without storing the information in order to comply withtypical media licenses or copyrights. The system provides flexiblepermission granting, control and other features to manage use of media,objects or other data.

Generally, all the data can be relayed securely without any ability tointerpret data that is in transit through a node or nodes. The systemallows for end-to-end encryption to protect traffic being routed alongthe communication route. Alternatively, some portions or links of thecommunication route are protected with encryption while other portionsare not, and different portions of the communication route can beprotected using different encryption codes or technologies. This isadvantageous for a number of reasons. For example, in order to complywith certain country specific regulatory or other issues, it may benecessary to terminate the secure link at one or more intermediary nodesand then forward the traffic using a different encryption code or inclear text; in another instance, it may also be required to re-encryptthe already encrypted channel with another encryption code.

Other aspects of the present invention include user interfaces of theunits, scalability of the network, etc.

Reference to the remaining portions of the specification, including thedrawings and claims, will realize other features and advantages of thepresent invention. Further features and advantages of the presentinvention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodimentsof the present invention, are described in detail below with respect toaccompanying drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic block diagram illustrating oneexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention in the form of one or more exemplary embodimentswill now be described. FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic block diagramillustrating one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In thisexemplary embodiment, the network 10 includes a number of mobile radiounits (each an MRU) 12 and a number of semi-fixed or fixed radio units14 (each an FRU). Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein,a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other typesof devices that are able to send and receive signals, i.e.,transceivers, can be used as MRUs or FRUs in accordance with the presentinvention.

In one exemplary embodiment, the MRU 12 is a user portable device thatis capable of handling wireless communications. The MRU 12 includes twotypes of high bandwidth radio, one is used for long range relaycommunication and the other for short range local communication. The MRU12 is capable of communicating with nearby MRUs and FRUs 14. The MRU 12is also capable of communicating with local accessory devices, such asbut not limited to, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, wireless audiodevices, etc.

The MRU 12 also includes communication components that are capable ofcommunicating with a secure token, such as but not limited to, asmartcard 16, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card and other types ofauthentication devices. As will be further described below, thesmartcard 16 is used to store user and security information that isspecific to a user. The user and security information can be used toprovide end-to-end encryption, that is, the user data is encrypted onthe MRU 12 and only decrypted by the receiving node. Alternatively, theencryption of the user data can also take place at any intermediatenode. In addition, the use of multiple smartcards 16 allows a single MRU12 to be shared by many different users.

The FRU 14 is a device that utilizes high bandwidth long range radio forcommunication. The FRU 14 also uses a short range radio for localcommunication with MRUs 12. The FRU 14 is capable of communicating withother FRUs 14 and the MRUs 12. The FRU 14 is also capable ofcommunicating with a number of entities including data storage devices,such as but not limited to, hard disks and DVD/CD-ROM drives, fixednetworks, such as but not limited to, the Internet 18, a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) 19, and an integrated services digital network(ISDN), and wireless networks, such as but not limited to, a public landmobile network (PLMN), a wireless local area network and a cellularnetwork (e.g., 3G, CDMA, GSM, GPRS and TDMA). In one exemplaryimplementation, the FRU 14 communicates with a media server thatcontrols access to media and fixed network services. Furthermore, in oneexemplary embodiment, the FRU 14 provides an open accessible radiointerface (open domain) as a backbone network and a closed radio access(closed domain) for MRUs 12 and their users that are registered withthat FRU (“Home FRU” 20). As will be further described below,information or services that are available in the open domain allow,amongst other things, communications with other FRUs. In the closeddomain, information or services can only be accessed by MRUs or usersthat are registered with the Home FRU. Information and services that areavailable respectively from the open and closed domains of an FRU mayvary depending on each specific FRU. Such information and services thatare available from an FRU include, for example, applications such as butnot limited to games and other utility programs, audio data such asmusic, video data such as pictures and images, and audio/video data suchas movies. In addition, FRUs or MRUs may also locally cache data, forexample web pages, in order to provide a speedier service within thenetwork.

The network 10 operates in the following exemplary manners. The network10 has a number of different types of connections. A semi-fixed longrange high bandwidth (HBLR) connection that is used to interconnect theFRU relay points. A short range high bandwidth connection also exists onthe MRU and the FRU, that is used to interconnect those devices. The MRUalso has a very short range medium bandwidth connection to allow forradio communications with local MRU accessory devices.

When a new FRU is first introduced into the network, the new FRU engagesin an initialization mode. When in this mode, the new FRU uses its HBLRconnection to listen to or detect other FRUs in the network that are inits locale or coverage area. Upon detecting other FRUs, the new FRUattempts to establish connections with these other FRUs. Other FRUs aredetected, for example, by monitoring their radio links or pilotinformation that maybe periodically broadcast by each device. The pilotinformation that is sent may include, but is not limited to, FRUidentity, status, power information, channel information etc. From theseother FRUs, the new FRU determines its relative position in terms oflocation within the network. Based on this information, the new FRUassigns itself a unique address in the network. In carrying out theseactions, the new FRU builds up a table of local FRUs, their respectiveaddresses, radio frequencies that these local FRUs may be using and thequality of the radio links amongst the local FRUs. The position of thenew FRU can be determined in a number of ways including, for example,triangulation, GPS receiver or direct knowledge from data input to thedevice. It should be noted that the new FRU may generate for itself anaddress that is already in use. When a duplicate address is generated,the neighboring FRUs inform the FRU that its self-assigned address needsto be changed as soon as the FRU uses that address on the network. TheFRU MAC address can be used to identify the duplicate address. Thisallows the network addressing to remain homogeneous without duplicateaddresses.

By using the foregoing approach, the new FRU is able to establish apicture of its location in the network and how to route traffic withinthe network. Once the new FRU has determined its location in thenetwork, the new FRU then announces its presence to other FRUs. Theother FRUs within radio contact range of the new FRU then add the newFRU to their route tables and make note of the radio link qualityassociated with the new FRU. By announcing its presence to other FRUs,the new FRU effectively provides another optional route to these otherFRUs for routing their traffic. For example, due to the superior qualityof the radio link associated with the new FRU with respect to aparticular FRU, this particular FRU is able to provide better QoS usingthe new FRU. Once the FRU has established itself in the network, the FRUannounces its presence to the MRUs so that the MRUs may also use the FRUas a relay point to the network. Furthermore, the newly established FRUalso allows the owner of the FRU to create a user or Home FRU, asfurther described below. If the FRU loses communications with other FRUsor otherwise has a problem communicating, the FRU informs all theassociated MRUs and breaks any links so these associated MRUs may moveto another FRU.

Once the new FRU is introduced into the network, the FRU acts as anintelligent relay point. A sending FRU wishing to route data to aspecific destination looks to transmit the data to a receiving FRU. Thisdecision to transmit the data to the receiving FRU is based on a numberof factors, including but not limited to, link quality, radio linkquality, number of hops to destination, traffic load conditions,application requesting the data transfer, type of data to be transferredand requested QoS. Once the receiving FRU is identified, the sending FRUtransmits the packet that it wishes to send and the receiving FRUacknowledges receipt of the packet if the packet is successfullyreceived. Alternatively, the receiving FRU may negatively acknowledgereceipt of the packet indicating that the receiving FRU either hasreceived a bad packet or has no route for the packet. In the event thatthe sending FRU does not receive any acknowledgement, which indicatesthat the transmitted packet was lost, the sending FRU may thenoptionally look for an alternative route in the form of another FRU toresend the packet. Each packet is associated with the required QoS. ThisQoS may range from high, for real time traffic, to low, for best efforttraffic. In one exemplary embodiment, there are at least four levels ofQoS. However, based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, aperson of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there could bemore or fewer levels of QoS depending on network and/or designrequirements.

An FRU having traffic to send may also act as a relay point for packetsarriving from other FRUs that are in contact with such FRU. Based on therespective sources of the received packets, the FRU is able to determinea more efficient route for packets that it originates and wishes tosend. More specifically, upon receiving a packet destined for anotherFRU or node, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer of the FRU examinesthe QoS associated with the packet and determines which queue to use forforwarding the packet. Different queues correspond to different routesin the network that are available to the FRU for forwarding packets.Generally, higher QoS packets take priority; however, in order to avoidcongestion in the network, lower QoS packets are still serviced in thenetwork depending on the length of the queues. Queuing algorithms arewell known in the art. Based on the teachings and disclosure providedherein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how toselect the appropriate queuing algorithm for use in connection with thepresent invention.

The present invention has many benefits and advantages. For example, oneof the advantages of the present invention is that the FRUs can beplaced anywhere in the network and the FRUs can establish their ownroutes within the network. Indeed, there is no need for any centralizedcontrol as maybe found in a traditional wireless or wired network. Thepresent invention provides for a network that is decentralized and canperform peer-to-peer routing without the intervention of a third node toprovide routing information. In addition, as more and more FRUs areinstalled, the average distance between FRUs decreases and this decreasein distance accordingly improves the radio link quality between FRUs.The improvement in radio link quality, in turn, brings about higherbandwidth links between FRUs thereby improving the overall performanceof the network.

The routing algorithm used in each FRU takes into consideration severalaspects or characteristics of the network. Each FRU receives informationrelating to such aspects or characteristics from its MAC and radiophysical layer. One such characteristic is the quality of the radiolinks offered to the FRU. Another such characteristic is the congestionlevel of the network. Additionally, by modifying the power used andbandwidth of the transmission, the FRU may decide to link with anotherFRU that is not one of the nearest neighbors. This could be used toreduce the number of hops on the route between the source anddestination. This could be important in reducing the delays associatedwith the traffic being sent. Based on the teachings and disclosureprovided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciateother network characteristics that can be used in connection with therouting algorithm of the present invention.

Furthermore, the routing algorithm also uses conditions specified in apacket. Such conditions include, for example, QoS. Using networkcharacteristics and packet specified conditions as criteria, the routingalgorithm then determines the route to be used to relay a packet. Forexample, if a packet specifies a high QoS, this may require the FRU toidentify the shortest route between two network nodes. Consequently, therouting algorithm optimizes a route to remove any redundant nodes. Thiscould be performed by any node in the network that determines it is notusing an optimum route to the destination. The optimum route to thedestination can be determined based on a number of factors. For example,an optimum route can be based on the lowest number of intermediary unitsor a number of intermediary units that is equal to or fewer than apredetermined threshold. Furthermore, intermediary units in the optimumroute can be selected based on different factors. For example, oneintermediary unit may be included in the optimum route based on itsradio link quality; another intermediary unit may be included based on adifferent criterion such as data rate. Moreover, the factors or criteriathat are used to select an intermediary unit may vary over time. Basedon the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinaryskill in the art will know of other factors that can be used todetermine the optimum route to a destination as well as intermediaryunits to be used in the optimum route. In addition, since the network isradio-based, FRUs may disappear or otherwise become unavailable for anumber of reasons including, for example, power failure, thus renderingone or more entries in routing tables obsolete. When an FRU becomesunavailable, the routing algorithm attempts to re-route traffic aroundthe unavailable FRU.

Moreover, each FRU also collects routing and device information fromMRU(s) that are available within its coverage area. As will be furtherdescribed below, the MRU(s) can also be used for forwarding traffic.Hence, such information can be used by the routing algorithm of the FRUto generate an optimum route.

Based on the teachings and disclosure provided herein, it can be seenthat, when directed to do so, the routing algorithm associated with eachFRU continuously selects the optimum route based on both userapplication and traffic requirements. Unlike conventional wirelesstechnologies that utilize worst case RF design principles, the presentinvention as described above is capable of optimizing its ownperformance in response to prevailing conditions. For example, an FRUmay have initially selected the route with the best link quality inorder to maximize success of the transmission. However, if other linksappear with a better quality, then the FRU has the option to switch tothose other links, even in the middle of packet transfers.

Another advantage of the present invention is that it can take intoconsideration congestion on the network. In most current wirelesssystems, the capacity of the network is designed for worst caseconditions. This usually means that several nodes are much larger andtherefore more expensive than would normally be required under averageconditions. However, in the network described above, the network is ableto take into account congestion problems that may occur subsequently andre-route traffic further upstream thus avoiding the congestion point.Hence, nodes in the network only need to be designed to carry theaverage load, thereby significantly reducing the cost of the networkdeployed.

In addition to having the capability to communicate with other FRUs,each FRU optionally includes the capability to access one or more fixednetworks in order to provide connectivity to various other types ofservices, such as, web or voice services. In one exemplaryimplementation, an FRU includes a set of fixed connections which allowcommunications with other fixed networks, such as, the Internet and thePSTN. By having access to one or more fixed networks, the FRU allows auser to enjoy additional services provided by such networks.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, MRUs can also beused to facilitate communications in the network. Each MRU includes asimilar short range radio or high bit rate radio connection (HBSR). Theuse of the HBSR connection allows an MRU to communicate with the FRUsand/or other MRUs in its locality. Communications with other MRUseffectively allow smaller networks to be set up within the network,especially if an MRU is not within range of an FRU. The MRU uses thesame routing algorithm as described above in connection with the FRU toroute traffic to a nearby FRU or MRU. Therefore, it is possible for thenetwork to take advantage of a cluster of MRUs to route traffic througha congested area. The MRU initially looks to route any data it may haveto send to an FRU first. However, if the MRU is located on the edge ofthe network, the MRU can use the routing algorithm to direct traffic viaone or more MRUs to reach an FRU. Also, congestion is likely to occurwhere MRUs cluster due to traffic generated by such MRUs. Such MRUcluster can be used to reduce congestion. Instead of traffic goingthrough nearby FRU(s), traffic can be routed through one or more MRUswithin the MRU cluster thereby avoiding overloading any nearby FRU(s).By using the foregoing approach, network capacity is created dynamicallyand does not need to be statically set as would be required in atraditional wireless network.

Furthermore, the connectivity of the MRU is not fixed. An MRU can takeadvantage of any other connectivity that might be available. An MRU isable to identify the most appropriate FRU(s) and/or MRU(s) fortransmitting traffic on a dynamic basis depending on the networkconditions. For example, even when the MRU remains temporarily fixedwithin a certain area, an FRU or MRU that was previously used by the MRUto route traffic may become unavailable. When this occurs, the MRU usesits associated routing algorithm to dynamically select another FRU orMRU that is most suitable or effective for routing its traffic. Inanother example, the MRU physically roams from one area to another. As aresult, the previously selected FRU or MRU may no longer be the mostsuitable or effective for routing traffic for the roaming MRU. Hence,the roaming MRU may similarly use its associated routing algorithm todynamically select another FRU or MRU for routing its traffic.

Since the MRU is capable of communicating and exchanging traffic withthe FRU(s) and other MRU(s), the routing algorithm used by the MRUutilizes information received from the FRU(s) and/or other MRU(s) aswell as other information to identify the most appropriate FRU(s) and/orMRU(s) for routing its traffic. For example, the MRU may detect all theFRU(s) and/or MRU(s) that are available to it for routing traffic andthe routing algorithm associated with the MRU then determines which oneor more of the detected FRU(s) and/or MRU(s) are most appropriate forrouting its traffic. In determining the most appropriate FRU(s) and/orMRU(s), the MRU may evaluate a number of factors including, for example,the radio link quality of the detected FRU(s) and/or MRU(s) and routinginformation already collected by the respective detected FRU(s) and/orMRU(s). For example, an MRU that is trying to communicate with anotherMRU that is in its radio range may choose to use an intermediary MRU orFRU in order to improve the bandwidth or other QoS that may be requiredfor the active service. Based on the teachings and disclosure providedherein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how toselect factors that can be used in determining the most appropriateFRU(s) and/or MRU(s) in accordance with the present invention.

The MRU is further capable of communicating with other local devicesusing its short range medium bandwidth radio. These local devicesinclude, for example, headsets, LCD screens or other accessories thatare designed to provide or receive information from the MRU. Forinstance, the FRU may transmit music in the form of audio data to theMRU. The MRU, in turn, forwards the audio data to a headset which allowsa user to listen to the music. Similarly, the FRU may transmit videoimages in the form of video data to the MRU. The MRU then forwards thevideo data to a LCD screen which allows the user to view the videoimages.

As described above, the topology of the network of the present inventionis dynamic. Since the topology of the network is dynamic, the coverageof the network can expand or contract depending on the number of FRU(s)and MRU(s) that are currently operational at any instant. Furthermore,as more and more FRU(s) and MRU(s) are added to the network, the networkcan perceivably extend to cover large geographical areas.

Also as mentioned above, an MRU 12 is capable of accommodating a securetoken, such as but not limited to, a smartcard 16, a SIM card and othertypes of authentication devices. Information stored on the smartcard 16includes user and security information relating to the user, such as butnot limited to, serial number, biometric data or keys associated withthe user. Such information can be used to provide end-to-end encryptionon the network to improve security. When a user attempts to access theInternet, user data or any entity associated with the FRU, the controllogic associated with the FRU recognizes the destination for the issuedcommand and uses the security information (such as, the keys associatedwith the user) extracted from the smartcard 16 to authenticate the user(or the MRU) and encrypt the data stream. When the data arrives at thedestination FRU, the data can be decoded only if the source of the datais from an authentic MRU. Furthermore, in one exemplary implementation,the authentication is location dependent, meaning that the user (or theMRU) is only authenticated when the user (or the MRU) is located at aspecific geographic or physical location, or alternatively, when theuser (or the MRU) communicates with a specific FRU. By using theforegoing approach, data can be encrypted and the user sending the datacan also be authenticated. Encryption and authentication techniques arewell known in the art. Based on the teachings and disclosure providedherein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will know how to selectand implement the appropriate encryption and/or authenticationtechniques for use in connection with the present invention. Since theencryption is end to end, this approach allows the user to employ relaynodes secure in the knowledge that the intermediate nodes cannoteavesdrop on the transmission.

In addition to providing end-to-end encryption, alternatively, someportions or links of the optimum route are protected with encryptionwhile other portions are not, and different portions of the optimumroute can be protected using different encryption codes or technologies.This is advantageous for a number of reasons. For example, in order tocomply with certain country specific regulatory or other issues, it maybe necessary to terminate the secure link at one or more intermediarynodes and then forward the traffic using a different encryption code orin clear text; in another instance, it may also be required tore-encrypt the already encrypted channel with another encryption code.

From a user perspective, the network 10 can be used to send and receivedata in an efficient and simple manner as illustrated below. A user (oralternatively, an MRU) is registered to a user or Home FRU. User andsecurity information associated with the user is stored in a smartcard.Such information is used to identify and authenticate the user when alocal MRU being used by the user attempts to establish communicationwith the user or Home FRU. Once the user is authenticated, informationor services that are available from the closed domain of the user orHome FRU can be accessed by the user using the local MRU. Suchinformation or services from the closed domain include, for example, asong or a movie that has been stored by the user in a storage devicethat is accessible to the user or Home FRU.

In one situation, the local MRU being used by the user is in directcommunication with the user FRU. In other words, there are nointermediate FRU(s) and/or MRU(s) between the local MRU and the userFRU.

In a second and perhaps more common situation, the user wishes to use aremote MRU to retrieve information and/or services from the closeddomain of the user's FRU. The remote MRU is located out of range of theuser FRU and, hence, direct communication is not possible. Consequently,as described above, an appropriate route having intermediate unites) isidentified by the remote MRU in order to allow the remote MRU tocommunicate with the user FRU. The intermediate unites) include one ormore FRU(s) and/or MRU(s). Similarly, information stored in thesmartcard is retrieved by the remote MRU and is used to authenticate theuser to the user FRU. Information from the smartcard further allowssecure transmission on the route established between the remote MRU andthe user FRU. Once the route is identified, information and servicesthat are available from the closed domain of the user FRU can beprovided to the user via the remote MRU. As mentioned above, the routeused for communications between the remote MRU and the user FRU maychange on a dynamic basis depending on a number of factors, such as,existing network conditions and conditions specified in the packets tobe transmitted. In other words, the intermediate unites) that are usedto carry traffic between the remote MRU and the user FRU may changedynamically from time to time.

In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention is designed tooperate in the 5 GHz ISM band. However, based on the disclosure andteaching provided herein, it should be appreciated by one of ordinaryskill in the art that the present invention could be used at anyfrequency.

It should be understood that the present invention can be implemented inthe form of control logic using software, hardware or a combination ofboth, in a modular, distributed or integrated manner. Based on theteachings and disclosure provided herein, a person of ordinary skill inthe art will know of other ways and/or methods to implement the presentinvention.

Although the present invention has been described with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, these embodiments are merely illustrative,and not restrictive, of the present invention. For example, although thesystem has primarily been described with respect to radio-frequencytransmissions, any type of communication link that permits mobiletransceivers is possible. For example, infrared or other portions of theelectromagnetic wave spectrum, acoustic or other communication links canbe used. Fixed and mobile units can be provided with many differenttypes of processing ability, or very minimal, or no, processing ability.For example, a device may merely act as a repeater to send data along toanother device.

It should be understood that the present invention as described abovecan be realized in the form of control logic, implemented in software orhardware or a combination of both, in either an integrated ordistributed manner. A person of ordinary skill in the art will know ofother ways and/or methods to implement the present invention.

It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein arefor illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changesin light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and areto be included within the spirit and purview of this application andscope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patentapplications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference for allpurposes in their entirety.

1. A multihop wireless communication network, comprising: one or moremobile radio units (MRUs) including a first node; and a plurality offixed radio units (FRUs) including a second node and one or more othernodes that are adaptable to serve as intermediate nodes along aplurality of possible multihop paths that are configurable between saidfirst and second nodes; wherein said first node (MRU) is configured todynamically determine which multihop path of said plurality of possiblemultihop paths is used to transmit data packets from the second node(FRU) to the first node (MRU), while the data packets are beingtransmitted from the second node to the first node.
 2. The multihopwireless communication network of claim 1, wherein said first node isconfigured to dynamically determine which multihop path of saidplurality of possible multihop paths is configured between the first andsecond nodes, in order to maintain a requested quality of service (QoS)provision.
 3. The multihop wireless communication network of claim 1,wherein said first node is configured to dynamically determine whichmultihop path of said plurality of possible multihop paths is configuredbetween the first and second nodes, in order to maintain a communicationconnection between the first node and the second node.
 4. A method ofintroducing a new fixed radio unit (FRU) into a multihop wirelesscommunication network containing one or more mobile radio units (MRUs),the method comprising: listening on a long range high bandwidth (HBLR)connection; detecting other FRUs in a coverage area of the new FRU byusing the HBLR connection; attempting to establish connections betweenthe new FRU and the other FRUs; determining a physical position of thenew FRU; and self-assigning, at the new FRU, an address based on thephysical position.
 5. The method of claim 4, the method furthercomprising building up a table of local FRUs each comprising arespective address, a radio frequency and a quality of a radio link. 6.The method of claim 4, wherein the act of determining the physicalposition comprises using triangulation.
 7. The method of claim 4,wherein the act of determining the physical position comprises using GPSreceiver.
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of determining thephysical position comprises using data previously input to the new FRU.9. The method of claim 4, wherein the address comprises a unique addressnot in use by another node in the network.
 10. The method of claim 4,the method further comprising: receiving an indication that the addressis a duplicate address in use by another node in the network; andchanging the address to a new address.
 11. The method of claim 4, themethod further comprising announcing from the new FRU to the other FRUsthe presence of the new FRU, thereby providing another optional route tothe other FRUs for routing their traffic.
 12. The method of claim 4, themethod further comprising announcing from the new FRU to MRUs thepresence of the new FRU, thereby providing the new FRU as a relay pointfor the MRUs.
 13. The method of claim 4, the method further comprising:detecting, at the new FRU, a loss in communication with the other FRUs;informing associated MRUs of the loss; and breaking links to theassociated MRUs thereby allowing each of the associated MRUs todynamically select another FRU.
 14. A method of relaying traffic througha first fixed radio unit (FRU) in a multihop wireless communicationnetwork, the method comprising: receiving a packet at the first FRU froma second FRU; determining the packet is to be relayed; establishing along range high bandwidth (HBLR) connection at the first FRU;determining a queue from a plurality of queues to use for forwarding thepacket based on a quality of service (QoS) associated with the packet;saving the packet in the selected queue; and forwarding the packet fromthe selected queue; wherein the plurality of queues comprises differentqueues corresponding to different routes in the network available to thefirst FRU for forwarding packets.
 15. The method of claim 14, whereinthe plurality of queues comprises a first queue associated with packetshaving a first QoS and a second queue associated with packets having asecond QoS wherein the first QoS is higher than the second QoS.
 16. Amethod of continuously selecting an optimum route in a fixed radio unit(FRU) in a multihop wireless communication network, the methodcomprising: determining a first link having a maximum link quality;selecting a first multihop route including the first link; communicatingdata using the first multihop route; and while communicating the datamonitoring a second link; determining the second link has a better linkquality than the first link, wherein a second multihop route comprisesthe second link; selecting, based on the better link quality, the secondlink; and switching, in the middle of packet transfer, to communicatethe data using the second multihop route.
 17. The method of claim 16,further comprising: detecting a congestion point; and instructing a nodeupstream to re-route traffic thereby avoiding the congestion point. 18.A method of avoiding congestion in a multihop wireless communicationnetwork comprising a plurality of node types comprising fixed radiounits (FRUs) and mobile radio units (MRUs), the method comprising:selecting a first multihop route including a first FRU; communicatingdata using the first multihop route; and while communicating the datadetecting congestion in the first FRU; selecting, based on the detectedcongestion, a second multihop route including a cluster of MRUs therebyavoiding the first FRU; and switching, in the middle of packet transfer,to communicate the data using the second multihop route.
 19. A method oflocation-dependent authentication in a multihop wireless communicationnetwork, the method comprising: receiving data from a mobile radio unit(MRU); and authenticating if the MRU is in a specific geographiclocation.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the act of authenticatingcomprises authenticating the MRU if the MRU is in the specificgeographic location.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the act ofauthenticating comprises authenticating a user of the MRU if the MRU isin the specific geographic location.
 22. The method of claim 19, whereinthe specific geographic location comprises a country.
 23. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the specific geographic location comprises a locationto communicate with a specific FRU.
 24. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising determining a physical position of the MRU.
 25. The method ofclaim 24, wherein the act of determining the physical position comprisesusing triangulation.
 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the act ofdetermining the physical position comprises using GPS receiver.